The idea of Jaren Jackson Jr. returning to the Memphis Grizzlies this season almost seems like a myth.
His return has been talked about throughout the course of the entire season. At first, he was supposed to return after the All-Star break, but that never happened. As a result, he has become a boogeyman for this team.
The difference here is that Jackson Jr. will serve as a boogeyman for the rest of the NBA and a positive for the Grizzlies in his return.
On Sunday, Grizzlies PR‘s injury report listed Jackson Jr. as “Doubtful” for the first time all season. While “Doubtful” may not seem very promising at all, it’s a huge step forward after he has been listed as “OUT” for the entirety of the year thus far.
Memphis Grizzlies Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return is coming at the perfect time
Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return, or at least the implication of his near return, is coming at the perfect time for a beat-up Grizzlies team that hasn’t played at full power, even without JJJ, in weeks.
That said, this team has powered on, with each individual member of this roster seeing drastic improvements since last season. If someone told you that JJJ’s absence would have extended through 55 games in the 2021 season, nobody would have predicted that the Grizz would be sitting at 29-26 at the 8-spot in the Western Conference. But here we are.
The Grizzlies were in desperate need of him, and like a superhero, he will come swooping in to save this team as they head toward the NBA Playoffs. Here’s where it starts.
Memphis Grizzlies F Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return is finally coming to fruition
Earlier in the year, the narrative surrounding Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return was heavily based on the idea that he would be returning around the conclusion of the NBA All-Star break. At that point in time, this was the only information available. A not-so-confident general time frame of when he might return.
Even when it was announced in late March that JJJ’s return would come in late April, it didn’t seem very real. At least, for most Grizzlies fans, they knew better than to get excited about a future timetable.
The last time fans got excited, they were let down by a series of injury reports that saw JJJ as “OUT,” followed by an announcement that he wouldn’t return until late April. It seemed like another extension on an injury that already had an excessive recovery time.
But this time, it was real.
Now that he has actually shown up as doubtful on the injury report, it turns his return into a real thing. Jaren Jackson Jr. playing basketball in the 2020-21 season is no longer folklore — he’ll actually be coming back. And he’ll be coming back soon.
But how will his return affect the Memphis Grizzlies’ chances at making a push toward the NBA Playoffs? Here’s how.
Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return to the Memphis Grizzlies will skyrocket their playoff chances
The impact that Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return is going to have on this Memphis Grizzlies team cannot be put into words. In his absence, the squad has had its best season since the rebuild began. That includes last year when they were knocked out of playoff contention in the play-in game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
This year, their sights will not be set on earning a guaranteed spot, which means shooting for a 6-seed in the Western Conference.
That said, this was already a goal marker for this team without JJJ in the lineup. It wasn’t that much of a stretch either, as the Grizzlies were playing their best basketball leading up to Jaren Jackson Jr. being listed as doubtful.
In the past ten games, the Grizzlies have gone 7-3, including an extremely flukey loss against the Dallas Mavericks that saw Memphis earn a win and choke it away in the last seconds.
Even if JJJ doesn’t return to the lineup for a few games, he’s ahead of schedule. This will give the Grizzlies at least a dozen games to push for a guaranteed playoff spot. With the Nuggets missing their star point guard in Jamal Murray and the Mavericks continuing to struggle, Memphis may be able to sneak into that spot.
Hopefully, this team can make a run to the playoffs, but even if they don’t, their chances will be strong in the play-in tournament with lesser opponents.